''Go for Broke!'' is a 1951

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by

Robert Pirosh Robert Pirosh (April 1, 1910 – December 25, 1989) was an American motion picture and television screenwriter and director. In 1951, he was nominated for another Academy Award for the screenplay '' Go for Broke!''. This was his directoria ...

, "Robert Pirosh, 79, Veteran of Combat and Author, Is Dead,"
''New York Times.'' December 31, 1989. produced by

Dore Schary Isadore "Dore" Schary (August 31, 1905 – July 7, 1980) was an American playwright, director, and producer for the stage and a prolific screenwriter and producer of motion pictures. He directed just one feature film, '' Act One'', the film bio ...

and starring

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

and six veterans of the

442nd Regimental Combat Team The 442nd Infantry Regiment ( ja, 第442歩兵連隊) was an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment is best known as the most decorated in U.S. military history and as a fighting unit composed almost entirely of second-gene ...

. The film co-stars Henry Nakamura,

Warner Anderson Warner Anderson (March 10, 1911 – August 26, 1976) was an American actor. Early years Anderson was born to "a theatrical family" in Brooklyn, New York, March 10, 1911.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. ...

, and

Don Haggerty Don Haggerty (July 3, 1914 – August 19, 1988) was an American actor of film and television. Early life and education Before he began appearing in films in 1947, Haggerty was a Brown University athlete and served in the United States Army ...

in its large cast. The film dramatizes the real-life story of the 442nd, which was composed of

Nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation, ...

(second-generation Americans born of Japanese parents) soldiers. Fighting in the European theater during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, this unit became the most heavily decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, as well as one of the units with the highest casualty rates.Sterner, C. Douglas. (2005)
''Go For Broke: The Nisei Warriors of World War II Who Conquered Germany,'' p. 141.
/ref> This film is a Hollywood rarity for its era in that it features Asian Americans in a positive light, highlighting the wartime efforts of Japanese Americans on behalf of their country even while that same country confined their families in camps. As with his earlier film script for '' Battleground'', in which Van Johnson also starred, writer-director Robert Pirosh focuses on the average squad member, mixing humor with pathos, while accurately detailing equipment and tactics used by American infantry in World War II.Crowther, Bosley
"'Go for Broke!', Tribute to War Record of Nisei Regiment, Opens at the Capitol"
''New York Times.'' May 25, 1951. The contrast of reality versus public relations, the hardships of field life on the line, and the reality of high casualty rates are accurately portrayed with a minimum of heroics. In 1979, the film entered the

public domain in the United States Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by intellectual property rights (such as copyright) at all, or if the intellectual property rights to the works have expired. All works first published or released in the United States b ...

because

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

failed to renew its

copyright registration The purpose of copyright registration is to place on record a verifiable account of the date and content of the work in question, so that in the event of a legal claim, or case of infringement or plagiarism, the copyright owner can produce a cop ...

in the 28th year after publication.

Plot

In 1943 at

Camp Shelby Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate is located at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state-owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to s ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, the newly commissioned Lt. Michael Grayson reports for duty to train the 442nd, a unit established on the US mainland and composed of Nisei. His expectation was to return to the U.S. 36th Infantry Division, a

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

unit, which he had served as an enlisted soldier. He has to come to terms with a group of people that he sees as Japanese, the enemy, rather than Americans. Grayson runs his platoon rather insisting on strict observance of military regulations. He learns that "

Go for broke Go for broke or going for broke may refer to: Films * ''Go for Broke!'' (1951 film), a film about the 442nd Infantry Regiment * ''Go For Broke'' aka ''Tutto per tutto'', aka ''All Out'' (1968 Italian spaghetti Western directed by Umberto Lenzi) * ...

" is a pidgin phrase used in Hawaii meaning to gamble everything, to "shoot the works"—to risk "going broke" or bankruptcy. Grayson comes to learn the meaning of the frequently exclaimed ''Baka tare'', which, loosely translates to mean "very stupid." There is only one brief discussion of the internment camps from which some of the men have come, but throughout the film there are references to the camps. There are also a few brief references to the distinctions between the Nisei from Hawaii and the mainland. When the islanders who formed 2/3 of the outfit and the mainlanders first met in Camp Shelby, their very different cultures and expectations were bound to clash. The Hawaiians, products of the plantation system, enjoyed a sense of group solidarity—even, as the largest minority group in the islands, a sense of ethnic superiority. The mainlanders, by contrast, were used to life as a tiny and—after the 'relocation' -- legally oppressed minority. While Buta-heads (the phrase later devolved to "Buddha-Heads") are a key part of the Hawaiian economy and Hawaiian society, Katonks were largely distrusted and disliked by their neighbors. Arriving in Italy, the unit is joined by the 100th Battalion, a Nisei unit formed in Hawaii before the 442nd. The troops of the 100th are seasoned veterans and the new arrivals look to them for advice. On the march to the front lines, Grayson gets left behind when fraternizing with a ''signorina'', but he is not found by the colonel because his platoon has covered for him during an inspection of their positions. By the actions by the 442nd in Italy and France, Grayson finds reason to replace his bigotry with respect toward them. His transfer to the 36th, as a liaison—over his objections—comes through when the 442nd is attached to the 36th. As he has misjudged the Nisei, they have misjudged him. The Nisei learn that he has defended them against bigotry, even getting into a fistfight with an old friend from the 36th had insulted them. The 36th is surrounded by the German army and the "Buddha-heads'" rescue " them". On their return home, they are the awarded the distinction of the eighth Presidential Unit Citation.

Cast

as Lt. Michael Grayson * Lane Nakano^‡ as Sam *George Miki^‡ as Chick *Akira Fukunaga^‡ as Frank *Ken K. Okamoto^‡ as Kaz *Henry Oyasato^‡ as Takashi Ohhara *Harry Hamada^‡ as Masami *Henry Nakamura as Tommy Kamakura *

as Col. Charles W. Pence *

as Sgt. Wilson I. Culley * Gianna Maria Canale as Rosina *

Dan Riss Frederic Daniel Riss (March 22, 1910 – August 28, 1970) was an American actor who had a career from 1949 to 1965. Filmography References External links * 1910 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male f ...

as Capt. Solari *

John Banner John Banner (born Johann Banner, January 28, 1910 – January 28, 1973) was an Austrian-born American actor, best known for his role as Sergeant Schultz in the situation comedy ''Hogan's Heroes'' (1965–1971). Schultz, constantly encou ...

as a German soldier * Jerry Fujikawa as Communications Sergeant (uncredited) *

Richard Anderson Richard Norman Anderson (August 8, 1926 – August 31, 2017) was an American film and television actor. Among his best-known roles was his portrayal of Oscar Goldman, the boss of Steve Austin ( Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers ( Lindsay Wagner) i ...

as Lieutenant (uncredited) *

Hugh Beaumont Eugene Hugh Beaumont (February 16, 1909 – May 14, 1982) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Ward Cleaver on the television series '' Leave It to Beaver'', originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963; and as private detec ...

as Chaplain (uncredited) *

Frank Wilcox Frank Reppy Wilcox (March 13, 1907 – March 3, 1974) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films and television series, as well as Broadway plays. Background Wilcox was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roger V. Wilcox. He was born in De Soto ...

as HQ General (uncredited) *

Mario Siletti Mario Giovanni Siletti (22 July 1903 – 19 April 1964) was an Italian actor. He was born in Turin. He performed in more than 160 films from 1932 to 1964. He began appearing in American films no later than 1946. From 1962 to 1964, he also portra ...

as Italian Farmer (uncredited) *

Edward Earle Edward Earle (16 July 1882 – 15 December 1972) was a Canadian-American stage, film and television actor. In a career which lasted from the 1910s to 1966, he appeared in almost 400 films between 1914 and 1956. He was born in Toronto and died ...

as General at Dress Parade (uncredited) *

Ann Codee Ann Codee (born Anna Marie Vannuefflin, 5 March 1890 – 18 May 1961) was a Belgian actress with numerous hit films on her résumé, such as '' Can-Can'', ''Kiss Me Kate'', and ''Interrupted Melody''. Born in Antwerp, Belgium, her name was s ...

as Pianist (uncredited) :^‡These actors were actual veterans of the 442nd. The film includes archive footage of General Mark Clark and President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

presenting the unit citation.

Reception

According to MGM records, the film made $2,531,000 in the US and Canada and $806,000 overseas, resulting in a profit of $761,000.

Honors

The screenplay by Robert Pirosh was nominated for an Academy Award in 1951. "''Go for Broke!'' (1951); Cast, Credits and Awards,"
''New York Times'' online.

References

Notes

Additional sources

* Wu, Ellen D. (2014)
''The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Invention of the Model Minority.''

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financia ...

. , pp. 88ff. * Barsam, Richard Meran. (1992)
''Nonfiction Film : a Critical History.''
Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ;
OCLC 24107769
* Takemoto, Kenneth Kaname. (2006)
''Nisei Memories: My Parents Talk About the War Years.''
Seattle:

University of Washington Press The University of Washington Press is an American academic publishing house. The organization is a division of the University of Washington, based in Seattle. Although the division functions autonomously, they have worked to assist the universi ...

.
OCLC 260074492
* Sterner, C. Dougals. (2008)
''Go for broke : the Nisei Warriors of World War II Who Conquered Germany, Japan, and American Bigotry.''
Clearfield, Utah: American Legacy Historical Press.
OCLC 141855086
* Yenne, Bill. (2007)
''Rising Sons: The Japanese American GIs Who Fought for the United States in World War II.''
New York: Macmillan.
OCLC 122261832
*Steidl, Franz. (1997)
"Lost Battalions: Going for Broke in the Vosges, Autumn 1944."
Novato, California:

Presidio Press Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

. ,
OCLC 36170542

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Go For Broke! 1951 films 1951 war films Films about Japanese Americans Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Italian Campaign of World War II films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films Films about the internment of Japanese Americans Films directed by Robert Pirosh 1951 directorial debut films Articles containing video clips Films set in Mississippi Films set in Italy Films set in France American war films World War II films based on actual events 1950s American films